U.S. services to train jointly in Chesapeake Range Complex.

• Author: Watson, Chris
• Position: Chesapeake Regional Ranges Cooperative

A sprawling complex of military training ranges surrounding the Chesapeake region, in Maryland and Virginia, has enabled increased inter-service cooperation, not only for joint training, but also for cooperative research, development and testing activities.

In 1995, the Atlantic Test Ranges component of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division of the Naval Air Systems Command, in Patuxent River, Md., began exploring the feasibility of using its research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) complex to enhance naval aviation training through dialogue with the staffs of the Naval Air Forces Atlantic and the Atlantic Fleet.

By the end of 1996, the scope of this effort expanded to include not only naval and Marine Corps training, but also U.S. Army and Air Force training. Also in 1996, the Army's Aberdeen Test Center, in Maryland, and Fort A.P. Hill, in Virginia, were asked to join what later came to be known as the Chesapeake Regional Ranges Cooperative (CRRC).

The CRRC originally was designed to provide training support to joint operational forces. The synergy between these diverse organizations, meanwhile, led to other cooperative efforts. Members benefited from each other's resources and capabilities. The CRRC then began providing test support, in addition to training services. To meet emerging Defense Department requirements for joint experimentation and interoperability testing, the CRRC expanded its goals and objectives.

The CRRC supports joint forces throughout the Atlantic region through traditional acquisition and specialized training support. Examples include the Navy-Air Force aerial mining exercises (MINEX), unique training for Special

Forces and training for Combined Joint Task Force Exercises (CJTFEX).

Recently, the CRRC forged a relationship with the Joint Gulf Range Complex, which consists of ranges and facilities on or near the Gulf of Mexico. JGRC members include the Air Force Air Armaments Center, the Air Force 46th Test Wing, the Navy's Coastal Systems Station Panama City, and the Army Aviation and Missile Command.

The CRRC and the JGRC have combined their resources to form the Joint Atlantic and Gulf Regional Ranges Cooperative. This partnership coincides with Defense Department initiatives--sponsored by the director of operational test and evaluation and the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness--that aim to increase the cross-service use of testing and training ranges.

Member Organizations

The...